CAREERS ▲
WHEN DAWN FRENCH APPEARED ON OUR
SCREENS IN THE VICAR OF DIBLEY, SHE
NORMALISED FEMALE VICARS FOR MANY
a written statement, on
their website. They are also
required to report the data
to the government.
This level of transparency
may be greeted uneasily
by some, but is a vital step
towards gender equality
and, hopefully, a catalyst
for change, especially
in areas still showing
low levels of female
representation.
WORDS: JANE BRUCCOLERI-AITCHISON, IMAGES: GETTY IMAGES
*SOURCE: WORKING ANYWHERE, LANCASTER UNI WORK FOUNDATION
GOOD SPORT
up for the clergy. Despite still having
far fewer women in senior positions
than men, the Church of England has
seen a 17% increase in women coming
forward for ordination this year.
Head of vocation Catherine
Nancekievill called the increase a 'big
step in breaking down the stereotypes,
which is crucial in order to attract
under-represented groups'.
Research by global auditors Price
Waterhouse Coopers shows underrepresentation still very much exists
in techno ogy with a uarter o the
2,000 female students it questioned
saying they ve been ut off a career in
technology as it's too male dominated.
An area that has come a
long way, but could do
more, is sport. Although
female achievements are
WORKING MUMS
now widely celebrated
But let's not get too downbeat. The
and prize money for
phrase 'if you want something done,
women matches that
ask a u is entire y tting or atie
o en in e ds such as
Massie-Taylor and Sarah Hesz. The
tennis, the number of
two mums met in a rainy playground
women getting top jobs
when their babies were newborns
at UK sporting bodies is
and went on to develop Mush, an app
down by 6% since 2014,
or u s to nd other oca wo en
according to the 2017
with children the same age. It now
Women in Sport survey.
has thousands of users. Their success
ver in the
industry
shows that maternity leave can be a
a 2016 report from the
great opportunity to boost your career.
Center for the Study of
eturning to work a er chi dbirth
Women in Television and Film
is also getting easier for many
showed just 19% of directors,
women, as increasing numbers
writers, producers and
of employers are tapping
editors of the 100
into the many
to -grossing
s
bene ts o offering
of 2015 were women,
flexib e working
IN 2017 OVER HALF OF
and called for action to
arrangements.
UK ORGANISATIONS
tackle this.
While there have
ARE LIKELY TO HAVE
undoubtedly been
ADOPTED FLEXIBLE
wins in the ght
MEDIA
WORKING, ACCORDING
for gender equality,
Meanwhile, top
TO LANCASTER
making it easier
actresses continue to
UNIVERSITY.*
for more women to
ght or e ua ity in both
get to the top and inspiring
visibility and pay. Not only
the next generation remain
can they focus media attention on
crucial objectives.
the cause, but the parts they choose to
In the words of William Blake,
take on can be the catalyst for greater
taken from Jerusalem, the anthem of
acceptance of women in roles that have
our much-loved Women's Institute:
previously been dominated by men.
ill not cease ro
ental fight,
When Dawn French appeared on
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
our screens as Geraldine Granger in
Till we have built Jerusalem
the BBC's The Vicar of Dibley, back
n ngland s green and pleasant land
in 1994, she normalised female vicars
To women!
for many. Indeed, things are looking
i
in
oin
Real people
'Women
should show
how amazing
we are'
JACKIE FISHER, 45, IS A CEO FOR A
GLOBAL COMPANY IN LIVERPOOL
'My company Algeos is a distributor of medical
equipment and materials within the podiatry,
physiotherapy, orthotics and prosthetics markets.
'We have more than 80 employees, and I am
responsible for providing the strategic direction
for the business and ensuring that operations
run smoothly. It can be very challenging, but I
absolutely love my job. I ensure I know everyone
by name, and the culture of the company is very
important to me - I believe in leading by example.
he e e efi i el
o e o e succee i
in business today than when I began my career,
but the numbers still aren't high enough. The
more balanced a board is, for example, the better.
o e
e
i such i e e
e s ec i es
and this can only make for better decision making.
'The woman who inspired me the most was my
grandmother. She lost her husband young and raised
six children while working full time. Hardworking
and dedicated, she never lost her positivity or belief
that everyone should be treated fairly.
'I approach every day wanting to be the best I
can and knowing there is always something I can
learn. To be successful in any area of life, you need
to stop comparing yourself to others. If you want to
achieve something, work out what that means you
need to do and go for it. It may be that you need to
do more than a male colleague - life can be unfair
- but don't let life being unfair hold you back.
'A man once said to me that the problem with
women is that to apply for a job, they think they
need to be 150% right for it, whereas men only need
o eel he e
i h his co fi e ce e s he
e o e e he o
o e shoul h e o e
co fi e ce i he sel es
o i o i e ie s
showing just how amazing they are.'
www.athomemagazine.co.uk AUGUST 2017 | 121

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page.
If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.